Mac News and Rumors for February 17th

This week, we have a ton of news and rumors for you. First, we have news about Steve Jobs. Then, we’ll find out more information about iTunes and some changes potentially coming for iOS. After that, we’ll address the MacBook Pro refresh and hear some rumors about an entirely new iPhone. Finally, we’ll read about a mystery Swede taking on Dan “jungleman12” Cates at Full Tilt Poker.

Steve Jobs to Remain Involved in Next iPad and iPhone

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that despite his medical leave of absence, Steve Jobs is remaining involved in Apple’s strategy and product development. He’s apparently taking business meetings at home and has even been spotted at Apple’s campus. According to the story, he’s close to the revisions of the iPad and iPhone. Apple announced in January that Jobs was taking a medical leave and Tim Cook would be in charge of day-to-day operations.

Sony Might Pull Music from iTunes

Sony might be looking to its new music service called “Music Unlimited” as an opportunity to grab a piece of the digital music marketplace. This might signal that all Sony music could eventually be pulled from the iTunes store. Apple and Sony have been at odds over App Store content in recent months and it’s been rumored that Apple is developing a streaming music service of its own.

New Notification System for iOS?

Apple might be revamping its system for providing notifications within iOS, which is a perceived weakness compared to Android. A report on Cult of Mac states that Apple’s strategy involves acquiring a small iOS development firm that offers a notification system in the App Store.

Minor Delays for MacBook Pro Refresh

We’ve been hearing that the previously reported delays for the MacBook Pro as a result of Intel were overblown. Intel had a design error in the Cougar Point chip used within new processors that was going to delay a refresh to the MacBook Pro. But a new report from AppleInsider says that the delay might just be two weeks, not three months as previously speculated. Intel has officially announced that it will begin shipping the dual-core Sandy Bridge chips for notebooks on February 20th.

New MacBook Pros Coming March 1st

Speaking of the new MacBook Pros, the rumor mill is buzzing that the new MacBook Pros will arrive on March 1st. That day falls on a Tuesday, which has been typical for new Apple releases. The last update for the MacBook Pro line was in April, which means it’s due for an update. As previously stated, the new line will use the Sandy Bridge Intel architecture. Other rumors persist about it having a design similar to the MacBook Air models.

Smaller iPhone Model Coming?

The latest red-hot rumor is that Apple is developing a smaller and cheaper iPhone. Apparently, the smaller iPhone will be about $200 without a contract, which means that with a contract, it might be free. AT&T and Verizon would carry the model, dubbed the iPhone Nano, and it might be released as soon as June or July.

iPhone 5 Rumored Details

There’s been more speculation about the latest refresh for the iPhone. Apparently, a new version of the iPhone 4 looked significantly lighter and has an edge-to-edge screen that can be manipulated by touch. It has a virtual keyboard and voice-based navigation according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

PokerStars Continues to Overhaul Roster

PokerStars site recently announced 15 new members of its Team Online, while very quietly scooting other players out the door. Those who no longer appear to be sponsored by PokerStars include Julian Thew and former November Nine member Darus Suharto. You might remember that Main Event Champ Greg Raymer parted ways with PokerStars a few weeks ago.

jungleman12 Has Rough Week

We all know that Dan “jungleman12” Cates is up big in the Durrrr Challenge, which is once again moving at a snail’s pace. Unfortunately for Cates, he had a very rough week at the tables over at Full Tilt Poker, apparently against someone who might be Isildur1. The speculation was that Full Tilt forced Viktor Blom to change his name thanks to his PokerStars ponsorship deal and took on Cates. The other rumor is that the newcomer, “Lindqvro,” is actually Sebastian Blom, the brother of Isildur1. Cates lost about $277,000 in one match against this new mystery Swede.